FISH TALES

The Birch Lake Association is inviting you to attend the AIS Summit to gain information and share it with us. We will reimburse you for the cost of the summit.

Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates is sponsoring the third annual Aquatic Invasive Species Summit at the EarleBrown Center on Feb 28-March 1.AIS Summit Information click here.If you are interested in attending in person or virtually, please contact the BLA Board at mybirchlake@gmail.com

Your BLA newsletter is in your mail or email. Loaded with wonderful information about our lake, area events, Deep Portage Scholarships and a invitation to attend the Aquatic Invaders Summit III. If you missed it in your email or mail you can read it here. Thank you, Jackie, for a wonderful newsletter.

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) threaten the quality of these legacy resources.

The Aquatic Invaders Summit is a timely and important event for individuals on the front line in the fight against AIS. County government officials, tribal resource managers and leaders, lake associations, lake improvement districts, lake service providers, angling and conservation groups, hospitality industry, chambers of commerce, boat manufacturers and others will have the opportunity to share, learn and plan together for effective local AIS prevention in Minnesota.

More information on the Summit can be found on the Minnesota Lakes and Rivers website.

BLA board members recently met with DNR officials to discuss the state of fishing on Birch Lake. You can find the information here. A special thank you to Rick Zaske for raising this issue and for his continued involvement with the DNR representing BLA!!

These casings were found in one of the no wake zones, please ensure to not leave litter behind as it affects the health of our beloved Birch Lake. It takes our entire community to keep our lake beautiful for future generations and beyond. Thank you to all those who take responsibility for keeping our lake clean.

My name is Paul Blomgren. I grew up in West St. Paul, MN, but I have been on Birch Lake since I was lucky enough to marry into the Harrington family in 2000. Our house in Hackensack is on Murray Ave. My wife Lynne, a past BLA President, and I spend time up here throughout the year with our son (James – 14 years) and daughter (Mimi – 10 years). I love to fish bass and can frequently be seen in Miller-Turtle-Mud-Back-Entire (ask me about that sometime…) Bay in smaller Birch Lake. I can be identified by the (stylish?) gaiter covering my face, and I would love for you to say ‘hi’ if you see me! I have previously served in this role, but I am more excited than ever to take over after the tremendous momentum Mark Glende created. We are going to miss his amazing creative energy. One of his many legacies is that the membership has grown to 193 at last count!! That is absolutely amazing. Thank you, Mark! My favorite aspect of the Association is the sense of community it creates. The more members we have, the stronger a community we foster. So, the mission I ask you to join me in is: Spread the word. Ask one neighbor if they are a Birch Lake Association member. If they aren’t, direct them to http://www.mybirchlake.org/. I look forward to working with you over the next two years and I hope to see you on OUR Birch Lake or Poquet Lake!

Thank you, Birch Lake Association members for making our 35th Annual Meeting a tremendous success. We had a record turnout! The food was fantastic, the generously donated prizes were greatly appreciated. While Mark Glende passed on the baton to Paul Blomgren, we would be amiss if we didn't once again give our grateful accolades Mark.

With a sunny outlook here are a few words from our new president:

I wanted to quickly introduce myself and express how excited I am to be serving you as President of the Birch Lake Association! My name is Paul Blomgren. I grew up in West St. Paul, MN, but I have been on Birch Lake since I was lucky enough to marry into the Harrington family in 2000. Our house in Hackensack is on Murray Ave. My wife Lynne, a past BLA President, and I spend time up here throughout the year with our son (James – 14 years) and daughter (Mimi – 10 years). I love to fish bass and can frequently be seen in Miller-Turtle-Mud-Back-Entire (ask me about that sometime…) Bay in smaller Birch Lake. I can be identified by the (stylish?) gaiter covering my face, and I would love for you to say ‘hi’ if you see me! I have previously served in this role, but I am more excited than ever to take over after the tremendous momentum Mark Glende created. We are going to miss his amazing creative energy. One of his many legacies is that the membership has grown to 193 at last count!! That is absolutely amazing. Thank you, Mark!! My favorite aspect of the Association is the sense of community it creates. The more members we have, the stronger a community we foster. So, the mission I ask you to join me in is: Spread the word. Ask one neighbor if they are a Birch Lake Association member. If they aren’t, direct them to http://www.mybirchlake.org/. I look forward to working with you over the next two years and I hope to see you on OUR Birch Lake or Poquet Lake! Paul Blomgren – President, Birch Lake Association

Little Birch is open, the docks at the landing in town are in and the buoys in the channel have been installed. Big Birch still has many ice masses still covering about 40% of the lake area. There are loons, geese and many ducks on the lake. It shouldn't be to long for the ice to break up, tomorrow?????